Early craft

Until around 11,500 years ago a sheet of permanent ice covered
much of the European continent. However, the sea we
now know as the Bay of Biscay remained clear and large
numbers of people settled along the coast of that glacial
Atlantic Ocean. In this cold environment they developed the first boats, built
from a skeleton of branches, bones and antlers covered in
skins.
Avienus and Strabo both mention these vessels and they have
been documented from Scotland to the Basque Country and
Finisterra in Galicia. Such craft are still used by inhabitants
of the Arctic polar circle, due to the scarcity of materials,
where they are called kayak, umiak or baidarka; more surprisingly,
perhaps, they are also still in use as far south as
Ireland, whe-re they are known as curraghs.

The Bay of Biscay has always been known for its tempestuous
seas. Experimental voyages along the Basque coast in leather
boats, which are considerably lighter than wooden ones, have
shown that they are well suited to this environment. The relief of the seabed in the Bay of Biscay, combined with the
prevailing currents and winds, causes rough, dangerous seas.